


Red Strings

by Ringletts



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Future pairings to come, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Minekura Secret Santa 2018, Polyamory, Slow Romance, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-27 23:11:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17171246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ringletts/pseuds/Ringletts
Summary: A mysterious man appears before Sanzo, Gojyo, and Hakkai as they teeter on the thread of life and death with a proposal that would allow them to continue to live on. However, there may be some strings attached and not all of them are taking the terms well.





	1. Chapter 1. Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift fic for the 2018 Minekura Secret Santa exchange! This story has taken on a life of its own as the ideas sort of started to unravel. One of the requests was for a functional Poly Ikkou ship, and I decided I wanted to tackle that as I personally would love to see more fanfics like that! It’s a bit of a slow burn, but I hope you like it! It’s going to be my longest fic to date for sure.

_“Are you guys, really okay with this? I didn’t really give you a choice, did I? I changed your lives forever...” ___

____

__

\---

Even in the darkest of night, the eye can adjust and make out the surroundings thanks to the glow of the moon. The idea of absolute darkness was nearly impossible. Even the thought of being in a world void of any light was frightening. It was something Genjo Sanzo had nearly experienced once before. He was only able to escape thanks to the stubborn nature of three demons that the monk was cursed to be forever bound to.

This time, however, he did not escape that darkness.

His mind struggled to form a coherent thought, to try and find a memory that might help him figure out how he had gotten into this situation. The monk could see nothing and soon realized he couldn’t feel his own body. Blinded by the absolute darkness, he attempted to make some form of contact with his hands. But there was nothing for him to reach out to.

Sanzo felt his panic rise when he found himself unable to speak. In his mind, he called out the names of his companions.

There was no response.

An unknown amount of time passed and there was a faint glow that quickly erupted into a ball of light that illuminated the darkness. The vibrancy caused Sanzo to flinch and move his arm to shield his eyes from the brightness before realizing who could now see his own hand. Once his eyes began to adjust he glanced down at his naked body. Instantly he noticed there were parts that appeared to have markings similar to lacerations along them, particularly one that seemed to encircle around his left leg.

An image flashed in his mind; a blade of some kind that had dug deep into his upper leg. He remembered being on the ground, unable to move, the sutra fallen on the ground beside him, one hand clutching the now covered scrolls.

The monk attempted to recollect himself and put all the pieces together but everything was still hazy.

“Sanzo?”

Too focused on his injuries, Sanzo hadn’t taken in his surroundings. He looked up to locate the source of the voice and his eyes met with Hakkai’s, though the burnet haired man was in his youkai form. What appeared to be claw marks seemed to crisscross along his body and the monk had another memory flash in his mind.

Sanzo could hear Hakkai’s words in the memory, the regret in his voice that his life had indeed been short. The sound of his limiters was strangely loud despite a chaotic battle as they hit the ground. The memory ended but the monk was able to piece together what he needed to know what happened.

He saw Gojyo behind Hakkai, both floating in the lightened space with deep injuries, and a particularly nasty one along his throat, confirmed his suspicions.

“Tch, looks like we ended up dying after all.” Sanzo muttered as his hand instinctively went to his side for a cigarette before cursing. The damned afterlife wouldn’t grant him one last smoke despite everything he had been through.

“It appears that might be the case, unfortunately.” Hakkai sighed and turned to look towards the red-haired half demon. Surprisingly it wasn’t all that difficult to move around, his body subconsciously allowing him to drift in whatever direction he needed to go. Instinctively he moved so he could be closer to Gojyo. “My memory is a bit foggy at the moment. Are you two able to recall all that happened?”

Gojyo’s brows furrowed and he cupped the bottom of his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully as he usually did when he was thinking about something. His expression now appearing to be deep in thought as he gazed down at the darkness and attempted to assemble the broken pieces of his memories. After a few moments, the half-demon shook his head, gazing back up at Hakkai. “Not really. I got some images floatin’ around in my head, but I can’t really remember. We... were fighting, weren’t we?”

“Yes, that’s right. We reached Houtou castle.” Hakkai seemed to analyze his companions, eyes roaming along them as if trying to piece together any information he could from the various markings that resembled wounds on their spectral like bodies. It was almost like they were ghosts, floating in some kind of limbo.“I know I removed my limiters. I cannot recall much after that... though...” The brunet’s eyes peered around the void they currently found themselves in, his brows furrowed in concern. “I don't see Goku here.”

“Oh shit. You’re right, Hakkai.” Gojyo turned his head quickly to search for their companion but there was no sight of him. After a few moments, the half-demon smirked. “Guess the little monkey outlived us, huh?”

“It would appear to be that way.” For some reason that made Hakkai feel a bit somber. Of course, he was comforted by the idea that Goku had lived. He was such an energetic young man with so much enthusiasm for the world around him that it would have been heartbreaking for him to have his life ended so soon. But at the same time, Hakkai had so much more he wanted to experience with him and his friends. He had just started to teach Goku how to mend clothes, too. He had such a hard time handling the needle and thread though.

“That’s pretty lame. Who’s going to teach the kid how to flirt with the ladies?” Sanzo shot a glare at the redhead who then continued on, a smug look on his face. “Or the dudes. I’m sure he’d be popular with both. Goku’s a good looking guy who’s got a lot of charisma. He would have been almost as sexy as me. Now I’m disappointed. I had always wanted to see how good you two were in bed. Kind of hard to do that when you’re dead.”

Sanzo clenched his fists at the way Gojyo spoke, feeling a bit flustered by the way he was talking. The monk had never really been attracted to anyone before. He had no sexual desires, at least not for women. He had a sacred duty to uphold as a Sanzo priest and knew carnal desires were off the table. But technically so was smoking, eating meat, well almost everything he did was out of the ordinary for the monk.

Maybe he should have accepted Gojyo’s advances in the past. Or he should have acknowledged Goku’s obvious feelings for him instead of constantly brushing him off. Now he was dead and wouldn’t know what Hakkai and Gojyo found so appealing about screwing each other nearly every night. 

“Like I would let you.” Sanzo muttered as he averted his gaze.

“Yeah, you’re right. Probably should go easy on you, being that ya never popped your cherry after all. Hakkai would be real gentle with ya. He knows how to go slow, get you all worked up an-”

“Gojyo, I don't think it’s in good taste to talk about that in the afterlife.” Hakkai interrupted as he crossed his arms, an amused look on his face. It shouldn’t surprise him that Gojyo would try to lighten the mood with a bit of dirty talk, even in death.

“You three are quite quick to assume you have already died, I see.”

A voice suddenly cut into the conversation, one the 3 men couldn’t recall hearing before. They were unable to pinpoint the location as it seemed to echo in this strange limbo they were floating in. 

“Do you all wish to accept death that quickly? What a bothersome trio. I had spent a great deal of time looking for your souls, too. Quite a challenge considering how many wandering spirits I had to wade through to find yours. You have not ceased to be yet, merely on the cusp of life and death.”

“Well, that makes me feel much better.” Gojyo responded with a sarcastic tone. “So who are you then? The grim reaper? Come to collect our souls?”

“Sorry to disappoint you if you were hoping I was here to send you into the afterlife. Rather, I come to you for the opposite reason.”  
A form appeared before the three, a being that looked like it may be a demon as it was clear to see the pointed ears. Judging from the voice it sounded as though it were a male. He wore a loose-fitting cloak with baggy pants, and a bandana on his head, eyes covered by a pair of small, rounded glasses. “I have been given a request to ask if you three wish to continue living in this current life.”

“Oh. I must say that sounds a bit suspect.” Hakkai was instantly suspicious of such an offer, especially from some strange man who they had never met before. There was no way to gauge this person’s intentions. He simply showed up with an offer to essentially make sure they didn’t pass on. “I would think such a request would come with some sort of strings attached.”

Gojyo turned to look towards Hakkai as he spoke, at first thinking the idea of not dying seemed like a pretty sweet deal. But the brunet was quick to point out that it probably wouldn’t come without a price.

“Yeah, I’m with Hakkai on this one.” The red-head managed to float over to his companion, putting an arm on the now demonic Hakkai’s shoulder. “We’ve spent the last few years having to deal with our little errand of taking out the minus wave. I’m kind of tired, y’know.”

“Perhaps there are strings, but not the ones you may be thinking of. If you are so concerned that there would be a debt to keep you in existence, I can assure you that it has already been paid for.” The orange haired demon had what appeared to be a smirk on his face as he adjusted his glasses to slide them up the bridge of his nose. “You could say a godly being has offered to pay the price so you may live on.”

Gojyo appeared a bit more relaxed by that statement, thinking he knew who it was that may have vouched to give them a second chance. “I mean, we do deserve it, right? We busted our asses for years for this mission. We were attacked every day. Hell, I don't even remember the last time I was able to sleep in! I had a lot of plans when we got back home too.”

“I agree. I don't think I’m quite ready to move on just yet.” Hakkai glanced at Gojyo having a feeling he knew what the half-demon was thinking. They had met a goddess a couple years ago and it wouldn’t have surprised him that the merciful one was the one to grant them another chance at staying alive.

“Well, that’s settled then, ain't it?” Turning towards the mysterious youkai, Gojyo crossed his arms. “So, uh. When we get brought back, are we going to be naked like we are now? I mean, I’m not ashamed of walking around with my dick hanging o-”

“I never agreed to anything.” Sanzo, who had remained silent in the presence of the being, interrupted Gojyo’s sentence. He wasn’t going to be as easily persuaded as his companions. Perhaps they were ready to accept a miracle from this stranger, but he wasn’t an idiot. This could easily be a trap. “We don't know you. You suddenly show up and claim you can revive us?”

“As stated, but I will repeat again, I am not reviving you. You three merely are on the final moments of life and I am offering you the chance to stop your souls from crossing that line.” Even with the glasses on, it was easy to see the quirked eyebrow, as if he was asking if the monk really wanted to deny a once in a lifetime offer. “Was it not you, Genjo Sanzo, who once proclaimed that you would outlive everyone?” 

Momentarily taken aback, the monk could only glare at the newcomer. Sanzo loathed the fact that all these strangers seemed to know things about him, like when Ukoku mentioned his birth parents while casually beating him into a bloody pulp. The blond said nothing in response to that, but his posture showed he was not willing to accept the proposal as quickly as his friends.

Letting out a sigh, the man rubbed his forehead. “Goodness, I was warned that you would be difficult to convince. I had not expected you to be this hard to persuade, though. I suppose I will have to do something to change your mind then.” The orange haired man lowered his glasses and shifted his gaze directed towards the priest, surprising Sanzo when he saw the golden hue of his eyes, the same color as Goku’s. Before the blond can retort, the two suddenly disappear, leaving Hakkai and Gojyo alone in their part of the spiritual plane.

“Oh dear.” Hakkai shook his head and turned towards the half demon, seeming a bit exasperated. “I can’t say I’m all that comforted either. It does seem a bit too good to be true. However, I do think perhaps our mysterious benefactor could have been the merciful goddess, Kanzeon Bosatsu.”

“That’s exactly who I was thinking of.” Gojyo nodded in agreement. “That Goddess sucked out my blood so the least she could do is pay off our debts. Merciful my ass.”

Hakkai found himself chuckling at the half demon’s response. Of course, he would still be annoyed at that. He very distinctly remembered Gojyo complaining that evening that the ‘kiss wasn’t even that great’.

“While it is true you and I spoke with her, Sanzo was unconscious due to his injuries. I can see how he would be suspicious of a godly being claiming to pay off our debt so we can continue living on...” The youkai looked down at the markings that were sure signs of fatal injuries along his body. “I worry, though. I can’t remember the battle. I suppose it was too much for my mind to process. Do you remember anything, Gojyo? I’m worried about Goku.”

“I can’t remember anything either.” Gojyo knew they had gotten into a nasty fight. He could recall Hakkai ripping off the limiters, more than likely in a rage or panic. Looking down, the red-haired man could see markings of the wound along the shorter man’s ear. Moving a hand up, he brushed a finger tenderly along the lobe, the ear feeling as if it were still intact. Hakkai subconsciously found himself leaning into the gentle touch. “But if we’re getting a second chance and I can spend it with you and the guys, I’ll take it. I got no doubts Goku’s still alive and kickin’. That shorty is made of tough stuff.”

“That is true. If any of us were to be left standing, it would be Goku. I just hope he is not badly injured somewhere. He can be difficult to deal with if he’s been in a harsh fight. Like a wounded beast.”

Seeing Goku harmed always caused such a painful feeling in Hakkai’s chest. With any of them, he was always concerned and would do his best to heal them as best as possible. Goku would often push himself even harder, sometimes opting to use himself as a shield to protect his allies if needed. The young man would always try to brush it off later and attempt to dismiss his pain to focus on training. Hakkai was certain he got that trait from Sanzo was also notable for pushing himself too hard after being injured.

At the thought of Sanzo, Hakkai was snapped back to reality. “They’ve been gone for some time, haven’t they?” The youkai mused, looking around the empty space.

“Yeah, they have. Though...” Gojyo’s voice shifted to a more playful tone, eyes looking down at Hakkai. “It gives me plenty of time to admire the view.” 

“I shouldn’t be surprised that you are able to flirt even in limbo.” Hakkai had completely forgotten that they were all just floating there completely naked. He had been too fixated on the fact they were teetering the line of life and death to really take notice.

“My apologies. Am I interrupted a moment of intimacy?” The familiar voice of the unknown stranger came from behind the two, causing Hakkai and Gojyo to turn quickly, now seeing him with Sanzo besides him. “Perhaps you all would like to continue on living?” 

“Sanzo,” Gojyo started to speak up. “Did you really agree? What made you change your mind?”

The monk seemed much calmer than he had before he had vanished with the orange haired demon. Gojyo couldn’t get a read on the smaller man’s expression, but he almost appeared peaceful. His body was no longer tense as it was before he was whisked away.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to hold your questions for another time.” Sanzo moved so he was closer to his companions, the enigmatic presence floating before them with his arms outspread. “If any more time is wasted I will be unable to send your souls back to your bodies. You are close to crossing.”

As he spoke the light was beginning to fade around them. The warm glow that had guided him to their spirits was dulling, signifying their time was almost up.

“I am the one known as Sai Tai Sai. You three mortals currently waver on the thread of life and death. However, fate itself has you linked to a very charitable ally who wished to extend your lives. You may still decline the offer and allow your souls to move on and try your luck with karma and the wheel of life. Or you can continue on this in your current form. Do you accept?”

“I accept.” Sanzo was the first to speak, surprising both Hakkai and Gojyo. Whatever the demon with orange hair said to the priest, it seemed to change his mind completely.

“Well damn. I don’t want to risk losing this sexy body. Who knows what I might be reborn into next time.” The smirk was back on Gojyo’s face. He knew there was no way he was going to pass on this proposal. “I accept, too.”

“I can’t very well leave these two alone.” Hakkai chimed in, a pleasant smile on his face. “They get into to much trouble. Really they need constant supervision. I accept so I can ensure these two don’t end up on death’s door in another week or so.”

The moment the words of acceptance to the verbal contract were stated, the wounds that marred the three men’s bodies began to glow, the color bright red. Their skin felt as if it were on fire before their injuries began to shrink in size to the point that they looked like small strands of blood. They fought through the searing pain, watching as the blood lifted from their bodies, removing the fatal lacerations from their very souls and forming red strings. Everything moved so quickly that they were unable to notice the blood suddenly encircling around their pinky fingers and linking them together. That was when they were barraged with vivid mental imagery.

Visions swam throughout their minds, each of them experiencing the same event from a time forgotten to them all; 

A night under Sakura tree and the smell of sake in the air.

A heavenly palace stained with the blood of slaughtered gods.

A dungeon with monstrously large, golden-eyed beasts.

A cry so tormented that an overwhelming feeling of anguish washed over them, snapping the 3 men out of the graphic imagery to see the mysterious youkai standing before them. 

“The darkness will overtake you. When you awaken you will meet the one who has shared their lifespan so you may continue yours. Your bond with them will deepen even more now.” He motioned towards the blood red strings linked around them. There was another crimson strand that continued on towards the fading light. “Karma has been less than kind to you. Do not waste this second chance.”

Soon after, everything faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2. The weight of the debt

Sanzo was never known to be someone that had an easy time waking up in the morning. When they were attacked by youkai he was quick to awaken to deal with the threat. However, waking up naturally from slumber was a challenge, though this time even more so. As the priest stirred he could feel his head throbbing. Sanzo placed his palm against his aching temple in an attempt to massage the pain away.

Faintly he could hear a voice calling him, but it felt like he was under water which made it sound slightly muted and garbled. But there was no mistaking it, he knew this voice anywhere. It continued to call out to the monk, asking things like if he was awake and if he was in any pain.

“So... loud...” Sanzo muttered as he cracked an eye open. Sure enough, a familiar pair of golden orbs stared down at him as a concerned heretic looked on in worry. The monk was relieved that the room seemed to be fairly dim. Bright light would have irritated his vision and made it harder to focus. Once their eyes made contact he could see Goku’s face light up and there was a sudden feeling of relief that washed over Sanzo, but it wasn’t his own.

“If figures the old man would be the last one to wake up.” The man felt his eye twitching at the sound of the red-headed roach’s teasing tone of voice, but his body felt too heavy and weak at that moment to try and find something to throw at him.

“You’re finally awake, Sanzo! Geez, you guys slept a lot longer than I thought you would. I was super worried...” 

“Well, Goku,” Hakkai suddenly spoke up as the blond turned his head, surprised to see the brunet still in his youkai form. “If it’s true what you said that our bodies needed time to regenerate from our injuries, especially ones so severe, then I doubt it would have been something so instantaneous.”

Goku puckered his lips in a bit of a pout before shaking his head. “Yeah, I get that, I guess. I just didn’t think you guys would be out cold for a whole week! Especially since that guy seemed really strong and stuff!”

Sanzo’s mind had been foggy, unable to recollect what had happened, but his thoughts came to an abrupt stop as Goku spoke. It was then that he remembered floating in the space between life and death and the words the enigmatic youkai said before they blacked out, that they would meet the one who shared their life so the three of them could live. Eyes widening, Sanzo sprung up from the bed and stared, eyes slightly widened at the heretic. 

“Sanzo, you mustn’t move too quickly!” The healer was swiftly at the older man’s side, checking him over with Goku not far behind him. “Our bodies are still unstable due to malnutrition. Our wounds may have been healed but we need to restore our stamina.”

Goku nodded earnestly at Hakkai’s words, putting his hand on Sanzo’s shoulders to try and get him to lie down and relax. “What Hakkai said! I know I’m all weak when I wake up and I’m all hungry! Don't worry though Sanzo, I got some supplies when I took a trip to town! I’ll make you guys something to eat! What do you want? A sandwich? Uh, some soup?”

The monk was barely paying attention. His eyes scanned the room now that his vision was clearer, taking everything in. Sanzo quickly observed that the wounds that he, Gojyo and Hakkai sustained had indeed healed, but a slight change of skin tone indicated where the wound originally was, reminding him of the hardships of the final battle. But his gaze soon fell on one the hands Goku had on his shoulder and suddenly the monk found himself agitated, pulling away from the touch.

“Sanzo?” Goku pulled back a little, a puzzled expression on his face before he realized why the monk was probably upset. The next words confirmed the young man’s worries.

“It was you. You paid the debt.”

Hakkai shot a glance at Gojyo as the two could sense a feeling of distress coming from the blond. 

“Well, yeah! What did you expect me to do? Let the three people I care about more’n anything in the world die?” Goku responded with a huff, putting his hands on his hips as he stood over him.

“And you just let some... eccentric demon offer to use your lifespan to extend ours. For what, Goku? A couple more years? You sacrificed years of your own life.” Sanzo clutched at the blanket in his grasp, the distraught emotion turning to a more frightened one. The young man shouldn’t have been so quick to throw his life away like that. Not for someone like the monk.

“What? You won't let me explain!” The shorter male leaned forward onto the bed so he could be at eye level with Sanzo, golden eyes looking on with determination as his passionate feelings swept over the three like a strong wave. “You guys have done so much for me, more than you know! You made sacrifices for me too! If I could pay the debt so I could stay with you guys longer, of course I was gonna do it! I would do anything for you guys!”

There was a cloud of tension looming over the room thanks to the clash of feelings between Goku and Sanzo that was experienced by everyone. It was no doubt thanks to the bond the four now shared. Hakkai, not wanting to see things escalate, moved towards Goku to place a hand on his shoulder urging him to step away from the monk. He didn’t want to risk Sanzo responding with a hurtful comment he might not have meant to say in the heat of the moment. The blond needed time to calm the storm of emotions, ones that Hakkai too felt when he had discovered the sacrifice Goku had made for them.

“Goku, you mentioned you went and got food, right? Why don't we step out for a bit and make something to eat.” Hakkai leaned over, giving the young man a soft smile as he tried to be reassuring. “I’m personally feeling quite famished, and I’m certain we’ll all feel better once we’ve gotten some food in us.”

Gojyo, taking the hint, was quick to chime in.”Breakfast, or uh, lunch, whatever time it is, sounds great!” The lanky male moved over to his friends, throwing his arms over their shoulders and embracing them closer. “Almost dyin’ really takes it out of ya. I can’t let this sexy body wither away from lack of food. Come on, Monkey. Lead the way.”

Gojyo began to pull his friends away, though Goku was hesitant at first and almost withdrew. But it seemed as though he understood the situation, glanced once more at Sanzo, before nodding and escorting them to the door, the redhead mumbling something about not having any idea where they were.

Sanzo could do nothing but grip the bed sheet in his grasp, but he could feel himself calm down. With Goku out of the room, the heretic’s overpowering feelings began to subside. He had to deal with his own concerns before he could face the young man again.

Meanwhile, Goku showed his two demon friends around the small home, explaining that after he made the deal with the mysterious man that he had found the three amongst the dead bodies at Houtou Castle and how difficult it had been to get them to their current location.

Hakkai surveyed the supplies Goku had purchased as the boy talked, taking note of things the young man may have missed. “Did Jeep help you with carrying us here?” There was a sudden sharp ache in the youkai’s chest before he frowned and looked towards his friend. “Goku?”

“Jeep...” Goku’s fingers held onto the sleeve of his shirt as he avoided eye contact with Hakkai and Gojyo. “He didn’t make it...”

The words broke Hakkai’s heart, and even Gojyo looked quite upset. The man could vaguely remember witnessing the small dragon’s death, but like most of his memories of the final battle, they were hazy at best. Perhaps the demon they encountered purposely obscured them as they were too traumatic. “I see...” 

The room was silent for a moment, none of them sure what to say, before Goku moved forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Hakkai, pressing his face against the taller man’s chest.

“I’m so sorry, Hakkai! I wasn’t strong enough! Jeep was trying so hard to help us too!” The heretic clenched his eyes shut, willing back the tears. The entire battle had been incredibly hard on the heretic and his friends. So many things that lead up to their final encounter tore at his soul and seeing the ones he loved on death’s doorstep nearly broke him, reminded of their past sacrifices. “I failed...”

Hakkai was quick to encircle his arms around the shorter male and Gojyo soon joined, putting a hand on both of their shoulders.

“You didn’t fail, kid. We all knew the risks when we accepted the mission.” Gojyo remarked, ruffling Goku’s hair and trying to lighten the mood. “Jeep was really brave and helped us save the world. He’s a hero.”

“That’s right...” While it hurt immensely that he would never see his companion again, Hakkai knew the small dragon wouldn’t want them to stay sad forever. “It will be painful for a while. Jeep was part of our family and I know I will miss him every day...” He pulled back from Goku, taking a moment to wipe at the tears forming along his eyes. “But he would not want us to grieve forever. I am sure of it.”

The smaller brunet nodded slowly, still feeling saddened but knowing Hakkai’s words were true. After a few minutes of recollecting themselves, the three started the task of making something to eat. 

“Dammit, you monkey. You went off and got supplies but you didn’t even bring back any cigarettes!” Gojyo teased, before grabbing some bread to make himself a sandwich. Goku rolled his eyes and started to bicker with the red-haired demon, debating how the food was more important than his cigarettes. The sound of them arguing was strangely calming for Hakkai as it signaled a return back into normalcy.


	3. Chapter 3. Blurry Vision

To say the few weeks or so had been bizarre was putting it lightly.

The four young men were slowly adjusting to their new lives, at first overwhelmed whenever they felt the emotions of one another. Eventually, they came to realize that when they were in close proximity their bonds were stronger. Once they separated the feelings were less intense. At first, it was almost staggering, especially with Goku nearby. The heretic had always been the type to not hide how he was feeling. When he was happy it gave a sense of elation, almost like a tingling sensation.

Goku subconsciously found another use for it. Sometimes he would walk past his friends and if he felt a twinge he knew something was causing them distress and he would ask them if they were okay. Hakkai was still mourning the loss of the small dragon, and Gojyo was dealing with the death of his older brothers. The youngest man did his best to cheer them up, offering words of comfort to help them through their inner turmoil or wrapping his arms around them to give them a hug.

The heretic was aware that this wouldn’t work on Sanzo.

While they were speaking to each other, Sanzo acting as though things were the same, Goku knew the monk was doing his best to ignore the shared bond which acted as a window into his soul. The eldest of the four was always good at hiding how he felt, usually stoic and unmoving and rarely one to get emotional. But the heretic never missed the quick, sharp pain he felt any time they made eye contact. Goku wanted so badly to talk things out, to know how the priest really felt, but Hakkai warned him that it was probably best to give Sanzo space so he could learn to accept their bond.

The polite youkai mentioned that time would go faster if they focused on fixing up their current home, and so that’s what the group spent most of their time doing as they sorted out their feelings. Hakkai particularly would spend most of his time in the shower thinking about the cryptic visions that sometimes flickered into his mind, trying to figure out why it all felt familiar. 

Drying his hair with a towel after showering, Hakkai stood in front of a cracked mirror, examining his own body. It was still startling for the first few days to see his youkai form staring back at him. Gojyo was supportive and not once looked shocked, even going as far to say the demonic look was ‘pretty sexy’ as he would run his fingers through the now longer strands of hair and nip playfully at the longer ears. Leave it to the redhead to use his charms to lighten the situation, but Hakkai appreciated it nonetheless, content to know he was still desirable even in his youkai state.

Goku had explained that he was unable to locate the man’s limiters, too busy trying to find safety before stumbling across the dilapidated home in a small abandoned demon village. The youngest of the group had managed to find a wooden cart, usually pulled by horses, as a way to transport the three men until he could find a safe location. Thanks to his strength, it hadn’t been a problem for Goku to haul them around.

Hakkai found new strength in his demon form and used it to help clean up the decaying house, picking up and relocating broken furniture and pieces of wood. Since humans were still scared of demons thanks to the rippling effects of the now-defunct minus wave, he wasn’t able to venture out with the others to town, not until he received new limiters. Gojyo, who had helped Hakkai in the past with getting limiters, mentioned that next time they planned a trip to gather supplies he would request new ear cuffs. 

After he finished drying up and putting on his more casual clothes, Hakkai decided he had two things he wanted to do today;

Clean out the study room that had been used as storage and try to see if he could talk to Sanzo. He figured he could save some time by recruiting the monk to help him with the former as he certainly wasn’t helping with the garden that they had begun working on to have a consistent supply of food. 

“Sanzo?” Hakkai knocked on the door the lead to the monk’s room which was currently partially closed. He waited a moment before slowly opening it, finding the older man seated on the bed, one of the dusty books taken from the study in his hand. The human looked up at him wordlessly. “I was going to work on cleaning the study room today and was hoping you would be willing to offer your assistance?” Hakkai smiled in his usual polite manner, hoping the eldest wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Why not make Gojyo or Goku do it? They could afford to burn off some of that energy they use to argue over food.” 

“Those two are already working hard in the garden and gathering wood to help fix up this place. Since we all agreed it was probably a good idea to keep our heads low for a while, I wanted to at least make our temporary home look less decrepit and a bit more inviting. I think it would be nice to have a quiet place like the study room cleaned up for when we wanted to focus on reading.”

Sanzo looked down at the book in his hand for a moment, before nodding and standing up. It didn’t seem like a particularly bad idea. While the house wasn’t tiny, there were only so many rooms available at the moment. Having a quiet place to think was something the monk could appreciate.

“Fine, I’ll help.”

The study was the last room that the group focused on, full of cobwebs, dust lining every surface, and books were strewn along the floor. Sanzo’s focus was on dusting as Hakkai worked to place all the books back on the shelf. Something about it felt surreal as if they had done this before. It was like deja vu. Something about the room made him think of a cluttered office and he half expected to see an ashtray that looked like a frog.

It seemed Hakkai wasn’t alone in his confusion as Sanzo seemed to keep looking around the room almost in a trance. Were they both thinking the same thing? It wouldn’t be surprising. Thanks to their link they all found themselves recalling memories from, what they assumed, were from Goku’s past. They could make out blurry figures but the details weren’t all there.

Distracted by his thoughts, the demon wasn’t paying attention and found himself trying to put a heavy book on a shelf that was already beginning to bend from the weight. The minute the book was placed on the wood it splintered and suddenly broke in half as dozens of heavy paperbacks cascaded on top of the two men and causing them to be buried in literature.

“Hakkai...” Sanzo groaned out after being flattened by a heavy textbook.

The demon was quick to try and pull novels off himself and this companion, feeling a bit sheepish at his mistake. “My apologies... it seems my mind was elsewhere.”

“I could tell you were distracted.”

Sanzo moved his hand out as Hakkai offered his own to help the shorter male up from the avalanche of literature currently crushing him. The two were not prepared for the sudden onslaught of mental imagery that caused them both to freeze in place.

It was as though the two were taken to another time. The men in their previously blurry visions suddenly became clear. A man that looked similar to Sanzo but with longer hair and another who matched Hakkai in appearance but instead wearing a ruffled coat was in a similar situation and cleaning out a massive room full of books. 

The strange sequence continued on and though the two spoke it was difficult to decipher what was being said besides the names Konzen and Tenpou. The one known as Konzen looked on with mild frustration at Tenpou who was the obvious owner of the messy room.

Quick flashes went through Sanzo and Hakkai’s minds that painted a picture of the kind of relationship the two had, including some rather sensual moments that involved them having sex on top of Tenpou’s messy desk. They could feel waves of passion as the two threw the desk into further disarray, knocking over stained mugs and crumpled paper to the floor as the two regarded nothing around them, simply focused on the act of wild lovemaking.

The vision abruptly faded, leaving the two silent for a moment to try and process what they had just witnessed and wondering if the other had seen it too. It felt as though they were there the entire time, watching what appeared to be their doppelgangers engaged in sex. But really only a few seconds had past.

Standing up, Sanzo brushed the dust from his clothing, grumbling about how he was a mess now and kicking some books out of his way.

“I’m going to take a bath.” The blond muttered as he made his way out of the room a bit awkwardly. “I’ll help with this later.” 

“Ah, alright then. Thank you for your assistance.” Hakkai replied as he gave his usual polite smile. He had a feeling Sanzo had the same experience as he did, not missing the slight pink now lining the monk’s cheeks.


End file.
